Take a tour of Sümela Monastery in Turkey – part of the World’s Greatest Attractions travel video series by GeoBeats.
Built into a rocky faced cliff in Trabzon, Turkey, is the ancient Sumela Monastery.
Legend says that the monks who founded the monastery in 386 AD did so after finding a mysterious symbol of the Virgin Mary in one of the site’s caves.
Visitors ascend a staircase to arrive at the entrance, and the inner courtyard and sacred cave.
Inside the monastery are several noteworthy places, including a library, the Rock Church, and a spring venerated by the Greek Orthodox religion.
The monastery has seen many empires, and has thus experienced numerous periods of neglect and restoration.
As visitors navigate through the monastery buildings, they will no doubt experience the overpowering sacred calm of the site.